Its population was 72,740 at the 2020 United States Census,[7] making it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County after Modesto.

In October 1870, Harper's Weekly published an excerpt from English novelist James Payn's story Bred in the Bone, which includes the mention of a town named "Turlock".

[9] Local historians believe that the issue of Harper's Weekly was read by early resident H.W.

[10] Mitchell and his brother were successful businessmen, buying land and developing large herds of cattle and sheep that were sold to gold miners and others as they arrived.

[11] While it grew to be a relatively prosperous and busy hub of activity throughout the end of the 19th century, it was not incorporated as a city until February 15, 1908.

As an early San Francisco Chronicle article stated of the region and the community's lacteal productivity, "you have to hand it to the Scandinavians for knowing how to run a dairy farm.

In July 1921, a mob of 150 white men evicted 60 Japanese cantaloupe pickers from rooming houses and ranches near Turlock, taking them and their belongings on trucks out of town.

[17] The affair gained national attention, and California Governor William Stephens vowed that justice would be served.

[18] Six men were quickly arrested but were apparently untroubled by the charges, stating that leaders of Turlock's American Legion and Chamber of Commerce had told them that no trouble would come of their actions.

But that does not mean that the decent citizens of California will tolerate for one moment such proceedings as the attack of a mob on the Japanese cantaloupe workers in the Turlock district.

During World War II, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US government placed Japanese Americans into concentration camps all over the country.

The Stanislaus County Fairgrounds was the site of one of 15 temporary "assembly centers" and held 3,669 Japanese Americans, most of whom were US citizens.

[citation needed] Turlock experienced extensive growth of both residential and commercial areas in the 1980s, following a statewide boom in housing demand and construction.

The housing boom of the 1980s diminished in the early 1990s but increased again in the second half of the decade, partly as a result of San Francisco Bay Area growth, which placed a higher demand for more affordable housing in outlying areas.

A recent boom in the retail sector has produced considerable growth along the Highway 99 corridor.

Before the land was known as Stanislaus County Fairgrounds it was first known as Melon Carnival because of its main crop of cantaloupes that helped their economy.

Promoting agriculture, entertainment and technology with the help of the community is the main mission for the Stanislaus County fairgrounds.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.9 square miles (44 km2), all of it land.

Continued immigration from the Azores Islands (Portugal) in recent decades has established a large Portuguese-speaking community within the city.

Turlock is a major center for the Assyrian community in the United States,[35] who began to arrive in the 1910s seeking opportunities in farming.

[36] There was an increased influx into Turlock in the 1970s following political strife in Iraq and in the 1980s following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.

MedicAlert, a non-profit, charitable, and membership-based organization for 24/7 medical response information, has been based in Turlock since its founding in 1956.

[37] Turlock is home to the California State University, Stanislaus Warriors in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

A directly elected City Treasurer (Diana Lewis) also serves a four-year term.

[58] Turlock is home to Julien, Crowell, Wakefield, Osborn, Cunningham, Dennis Earl, Walnut, Medeiros and Brown Elementary Schools inside its city limits.

[62] One of the extracurricular activities offered there is Baile Folklórico, calling their dance troupe Los Luceros de Osborn, where they perform at the school, festivals, and even at Gallo.

[64] An Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail station is planned to be constructed in Turlock for service starting in 2027.

[84] On the Grateful Dead's live album Europe '72, Bob Weir precedes the song "Truckin'" with the following introduction: Of course, by now I needn't tell you that this next number rose straight to the top of the charts in Turlock, California (Cheers).